Man who played Santa and worked to preserve Gig Harbor’s wildlife and trees has died

James F. O’Donnell, known to many as “Jim”, was a Gig Harbor resident who passed away on July 16 at the age of 85.

O’Donnell was a husband and a veteran and known to be a wealth of knowledge when it came to forests and wildlife.

“He was the kindest man,” City Council member Jeni Woock said. “He would chat about wonderful things such as nature and wildlife.”

O’Donnell’s long white beard made him the perfect Santa Claus, playing the role for many children during the holiday season. His gift to the city was through his involvement. He would attend City Council meetings and provide input.

“It’s critically important to have citizens who have expertise in any area to come forward and lend their advice,” Council member Robyn Denson said. “We have a wealth of people in Gig Harbor who are involved in so many different industries. If they can come forward in a volunteer way, it enables us to have better policies and do better things.”

O’Donnell was a member of the Tahoma Audubon Society, a group that advocates for the protection of wildlife.

Diane Yorgason-Quinn, a friend of O’Donnell and fellow member of the society, said O’Donnell was the founder of the Tahoma Audubon Christmas Bird Count 51 years ago. In a news release, she wrote, “He was awarded Tahoma Audubon’s top volunteer award two years ago, the Legacy Award, which was well deserved for his Christmas bird count work and many years of applying his professional forestry expertise to protect this Earth.

“This is a man who will be truly missed by everyone who knew him.”

According to O’Donnell’s obituary, he was born in Niagra Falls, New York on Oct. 27, 1934. He studied forestry at Paul Smith University. After fulfilling his military duty in Germany, O’Donnell received his forestry degree at the University of Idaho.

O’Donnell and his wife had six children, 12 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

“Jim loved to talk to kids. He loved to talk about natural things,” Woock said. “To have someone with experience like that, willing and able to chat with kids and people, it’s part of the fabric for a city like Gig Harbor. We have a lot of natural resources around us, and someone like Jim who has that in his blood, for him to stand up and make you think about things you never thought about before, he was a huge contribution to our city.”

O’Donnell was heavily involved in the conservation of Soundview Forest.

“Some of the great blue heron have been there for years, and Jim went down for the annual bird count. The way you get bird count is to make a lot of noise, and birds fly out of the tree and you take photos,” Woock said. “They are beautiful, and I’ve certainly come to really appreciate their strength and fragility. Jim was very involved in saving that piece of property.”

For more information on O’Donnell’s life and history, visit https://www.havenrest.com/obituary/James-ODonnell.